Ted Wells paid more than average NFL player for Deflategate report

NFL investigator Ted Wells says he was paid between $2.5 and $3 million for his report on the Deflategate scandal.

The NFL players union released a transcript of Tom Brady’s appeal hearing on Tuesday and it did not disappoint. 

Among the myriad of fascinating and hilarious details contained in the hundreds of pages of documents is the revelation that Ted Wells, the investigator hired by the NFL to get to the bottom of this ball deflation business, got paid. 

Testifying under oath at Brady’s hearing, Wells said he was paid between $2.5 million and $3 million for his services, and that’s just for the period through May 6. He and his firm also helped with the appeal hearing, which means more billable hours. 

• Transcript shows Tom Brady denied deflating footballs

So the NFL paid Wells and his firm at least $2.5 million, and possibly over $3 million, which is significantly more than the league pays its players. Last season, NFL players earned an average of $2.11 million, according to Business Insider, which ranked seventh among global professional sports leagues and dead last among the four major North American pro sports. 

Everyone thinks being an athlete is the key to being rich. It looks like you’re better off being a lawyer. 

- Dan Gartland